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Week ahead: Ash Carter in the hot seat

Ahead of the hearing, the Center for a New American Security released a report on what Carter should do as Pentagon chief. The report includes an essay co-written by Michèle Flournoy, who was considered a frontrunner for the top Pentagon job before she dropped out of the running, in which she argues Carter should focus on “internal threats,” including rising personnel costs, system inefficiencies and deteriorating purchasing power. She says Carter must get rid of excess overhead, including a possible reduction in the civilian workforce, and notes his background makes him “uniquely positioned” to put in place meaningful acquisition reforms.